I feel sorry for toronto and I don’t make fun of them….I look at it this way….what goes around comes around….they don’t have much offence….much like the Habs….so Habs fans don’t poke fun….our turn is just a few bad games away and they’ll be on the same boat with Toronto….

Seriously … where is “MontrealAthiest” … the ol’ scorpion toad character. I would like to get his impressions of the St. Louis Blues performance tonight against Columbus. Especially that of his hero Halak. 4 goals on 15 shots (Save %: .733)

Now before everyone gets up in arms … I have nothing against Jaroslav Halak (I honestly wish him all the best and believe that he has found himself a great home in St. Louis) … but it is nice to see that even the playoff hero of yester year is human and was not the only answer in nets for the Montreal Canadiens.

Don’t tell me what I think – I never said goalies were a dime a dozen. And for the record I was a big fan of Halak and still like the guy. I’m also a big fan of Price (always was). Only one of those guys still plays for the Habs and that’s who I support.

Thanks for proving your lack of intelligence and giving me credibility by saying the Habs cap issue is, “my opinion and not fact.” Clearly it is a fact and feel free to reference NHLnumbers or capgeek and see for yourself. We’re pressed up close to the cap limit with our current roster, Halak’s cap hit is 1 mil more than Price’s, and Perron’s is 1 mil more than Eller’s (including bonus). Please explain to me how we were going to fit them both in. Or would you rather we pulled a Lamoriello Special and dress a short roster? It’s worked wonders for the Devils…

I’m on the Blues blog, and I know for a fact they don’t give a damn about Eller and are thrilled in acquiring Halak. They can’t believe Mtl. gave him up..for real. Neither can most GMs throughout the league.

How about giving Gomer the ’08 Kovalev treatment? But somehow I don’t think it’d have the same effect, for a) He doesn’t score b) He’s not a fan favourite (other than his comedic persona) and c) it’s not a contract year.

Interesting read thanks. Im still not sold on Picard with the team all year, But what do I know I don’t make my living as a GM in the NHL. I will leave it up to a few on here with some ridiculous statements on how to run the Habs.

My problem is that, as a stat it is so inconsistent, it depends too much on teammates, and does not account for PP and PK abilities. Also, some fans place too much value in the stat and consider plus minus to be a reflection of defensive ability.

David Krejci and Blake Wheeler lead to NHL in plus minus in 2008-09 with +37 and +36 respectively, the following season Krejci was +8 and Wheeler was -4. Was Wheeler really that much worse in just one year, or does plus minus just depend on teammates, and overall play?

There’s being a minus in the game and being a minus in the game. You can score two points but be a -2 because your points were on PP and two goals were scored that weren’t your fault because of other players screwing up or the goalie allowing softies, coach won’t hold it against you.

But, if a goal is scored because you took a dumb penalty and it cost the team? That’s a minus in the coach’s book, as is ignoring your defensive assignment or not bachchecking and it leads to a goal.

I’m very excited about Eller’s potential too. The problem with a lot of folks on this site is that they were expecting a proven top 6 player in return. What they fail to realize is that acquiring someone like David Perron (who was named repeatedly by people on HIO as the ‘one’ they would have wanted/accepted for Halak) and his 2.15mil cap hit, wouldn’t fit under our current cap situation.

Not a chance Gomez sits next game (or any game for that matter). His offensive production is brutal ATM, but he is still playing very well defensively. That alone gets him a guaranteed spot in the lineup and gives him time to get his offensive production going.

Speaking of his offensive play, those blind passes of his – especially the ones that end up on our opponents sticks – are killing me, but he’s one of the few centers in the NHL that can carry the puck into enemy territory consistently. The problem is what he does once he gains the zone.

Plus minus isn’t a bad indicator, the problem is when you use just that stat to justify a player’s TOI. Jeff Schultz’s +50 last season didn’t make him the best defencemen in the NHL last year. You have to examine the rest of their stats and watch the play. Just using numbers is how Mike Green ends up as runner-up for the Norris.

Wow! Thanks for all the responses below! My coworker tells me that a lot of Blues fans were not happy to part with Eller, thinking he was too much to give up in return for Halak. They thought having Eller and Mason would have been better than having Halak. They were apparently quite excited about his potential (no matter what Pierre Mguire says).

Gill is a key plank in the 5th-best PK unit in the NHL, and that PK is 1st overall on the road. Picard can’t do that and just because Pierre Gauthier doesn’t run his mouth and practically place a D-man on Ebay like Burke does when he wants to trade doesn’t mean nothing is going on to address the situation.

Picard? The dude is a fringe NHLer at best; how many 25 year olds are already with their fifth organization? It’s not up to Montreal to have “developed” him by now, PG recognized him as a moderately serviceable asset who could be a seventh D/AHLer. Whatever upside is there has already been reached.

Last three games I believe 7.5, pressbox, 4.5. But I am probably being too cynical and anti management. I am sure Picard, O’Byrne and Eller are getting better and will be great due to fine Montreal player developement.

all in all…unless scott gomez gets off the mark and starts putting the puck on his teammates’ stick and those sticks put the puck in the net…it’s going to be a very long season.

I’m tempted to remove AK from the 4th line of gomez and lapierre and put him with Eller.

My issue with Eller is that he’s a playmaker, not a goal scorer and he just skates in trying to score that elusive first goal and has a serious lack of teamwork. I think putting AK on his wing will help Eller go back to his more natural game, and it also gives AK some more responsibility on a line.

Scott Gomez is currently a black hole…he lacks the effort and the execution right now.

I think PG wanted to clear some cap space to sign a forward and took a chance Boyd would be picked up on waivers. The chance was that if it did not work out then he is stuck with Boyd. To send Boyd who was signed as a UFA to the minors after just 14 games looks bad on PG and the franchise. So now PG is stuck with Boyd who might naturally be a little pissed off now and could be a disruption in the room.

Once a player clears waivers I believe the team has 2 weeks to reassign him. If he isn’t sent down after the two weeks passes, he remains on the Habs roster (just like he was never waived in the first place) and would have to clear waivers again if the team wanted to place him in the A.

A trade could very well be in the works involving either or both of those guys. It doesn’t really make sense to intentionally carry 1.5mil of your salary cap in the pressbox for the whole season.

they should make Gomez play on a line by himself, so when he makes his end to end rushes he is forced to take puck to the net and shoot instead of looking back to pass. but he would probably make a back pass to the goalie.

what do you mean it’s back on? Was it ever cancelled? I am planning on going… got some people to understand that as soon as they get their hands on tickets (season ticket holders, poor buggers) I need two. Two tickets for Timo. Will be wearing my MAB jersey.

With Montreal’s offence continuing to struggle – the team is now relying on its defence to score – the argument will be revived that the forwards are too short. Stand tall, play tall is the thinking.

To remedy the problem, the team could resort to using the rack – wait, that’s the fans’ suggestion, and for different reasons. But that’s just soooo medieval when fixing the problem demands a modern approach.

It’s too late for today’s roster to be augmented by genetic modification and Viagra produces length rather than height, although it might do wonders for the players’ poke checking.

The answer is much more subtle: skate inserts. It could be done incrementally, by millimetres, over the course of a few months. As was done gradually with goaltenders’ equipment over seasons to much more dramatic effect.

Take Brian Gionta. He’s listed at 5’7″. Now. But you keep adding inserts in his skates, one wafer-thin insole at a time, game by game, by the end of the season, he’s cross-checking Pronger in the face.

The change in height would be glacially slow so as not to attract league attention. To those few who might detect something different in Gionta’s appearance, team spokesmen would explain he had switched to a new diet to add bulk to his frame.Fans would be accepting of such an explanation as it would confirm their own powers of observation (“You know, Bob, I thought Gio had put on height.”).

Naturally, certain routines would have to be followed to maintain the CHarade. Le Gros Brian would have to enter and exit arenas by the back door so as not to reveal his true height to the prying eyes of television cameras. The sad fact, however, is that he could never be seen in public again without his skates on.

A small price to pay, perhaps, for a small player wanting to step up his game.Of course, after retirement, Gio could resume his normal appearance, much like Bonds did after his career ended. The unfortunate part is, he also would be hounded by whispers he had been on stair-oids.

Human reactions to a kick in the balls is often neither logical or cerebral. In Boyd’s position I would be mighty pissed for a while at least. When a player is signed as a UFA I think there is a preconception that he is wanted and will stick with the club. Boyd might think he kept his part of the bargain but PG and JM did not. Just my take on it.

“I’m not too sure what happens from here, but hopefully I’ll stay a Montreal Canadien,” said Boyd after hearing of the decision. “The season has had its ups and downs so far, and hopefully we can move forward from here. It’s consistency from game-to-game, and something that you have to work through and you have to get better at.

“I think you have to keep moving forward and try to stay positive as much as you can,” added Boyd.

Are those the words of someone trying to make a big stink about his situation? Maybe Boyd realizes his play hadn’t been worthy of a place in the line-up and a spot on the roster.

You said he “could be a disruption in the room.” I’m just pointing out that he’s saying all the right things, and there really isn’t any reason to believe that he’s a bad seed, and if he is he’ll be shipped to Hamilton.

Why can’t we give Boyd the benefit of doubt that he’s not some jerk? He’s played poorly and he’s never proven himself in his NHL career to be a top-6 player. These types of players get placed in his current situation from time to time on teams close to the cap.

I said he has never proven himself as being a top-6. So if he’s not a top-6, he signs a min contract, and he plays poorly, why would be feel alienated? Just because he was a UFA? That’s pretty weak.

Well, Brian McGrattan was waived the same day as Boyd, he was a UFA and Boston didn’t even get him into a game. Here’s one you’ll really love, UFA signed, Mike Vernace was waived by your boys Stevie Y and Guy Boucher after JUST 7 games! And Vernace was one of Guy’s boys from the Bulldogs. This suggests not only weak pro scouting but weak coaching in Tampa.

Mike Vernace was signed to a TWO way contract and was sent down to the AHL. He is still in the organization and re-callable. Not waived. I beg to differ the fact Stevie signed him to a TWO way contract suggests good pro scouting unlike PG who boxed himself in with all these ONE way contracts.

Brian McGrattan is a 29 year old career journeyman who in 9 game with Boston never saw the ice.

So what about a two way contract? You are misunderstanding the differences between one and two way contracts, I think. All a two way contract means is that the player gets paid one rate while in the NHL and a different rate in the AHL. Where a one way contract means the player is paid the same in the AHL or NHL. Boyd is still in the organization and just as re-callable as is Vernace.

Stand corrected he was waived. Nevertheless Steve showed greater foresight in giving a fringe player a two way contract. In other words the organization realized BEFORE signing him that he was a bubble player.

I guess they save some on total non-cap dollars (while in the AHL), but I wouldn’t consider Mike Vernace (12 NHL games) as same type of fringe bubble player as Dustin Boyd (210 NHL games). There is a much higher probability that Boyd is a productive player than Vernace, and one would assume that there was more of a market for Boyd.

I will have 8 for sure coming my way, I will ask for 2 more. Hmmmmm now that I think about you wearing that MAB jersey………… I just won’t have you sit close to me :). I will send you a email when I know for sure.

I don’t think you’re missing anything. I doubt PG was planning on trading him when he put him on waivers. I figure he was either hoping another team would pick him up, or was planning on sending him to Hamilton.

Now that he’s cleared waivers though, maybe PG is trying to package him with OB. Or even re-tool a trade he was already working on. Considering Boyd hasn’t been reassigned yet, it could be a sign that this is indeed the case. Who knows though…